The Rise of the Third Reich

The work of the two red heavy cruisers "Red Caucasus" and "Kirov" that "come to the rescue" is not over yet. While their decks were filled with wet British comrades who seemed to have no confidence in the prospects of a world anti-Nazi war, the fierce battle in the Atlantic continued!

Now the advantage on the sea is completely on the side of the European Combined Fleet. After sinking the Anson, Lütjens has three major results in his hands. In the "race" to sink a battleship/battlecruiser, lead 3:1.

At the same time, his torpedo ship force also sank 4 10,000-ton heavy cruisers and 1 10,000-ton light cruiser. Admiral Hipper also sank a 7,400-ton standard displacement light cruiser. In addition to sinking the cruiser, In the first column, Lütjens also led by a large margin 6:1.

However, Lütjens has no intention of giving up when things get better, because he now has a huge advantage.

Among the battleships of the battleship/battlecruiser class, he can use 2 Hindenburg-class ships, 4 Veneto-class ships, 1 Bismarck-class ship, and 1 Barbarossa-class No. 2 ship Schlieffen , and the battleship Gneisenau are basically intact. In addition, he also has 3 terrifying P-class guided missile cruisers and 2 Dunkirk-class battlecruisers!

And his opponent, Admiral Ingersoll, only has 4 Soviet-class battleships/battle cruisers available, 2 injured South Dakota-class ships, and 2 Kronshtadt ships that have gone to nowhere—— Because Kuznetsov knew that these two battle patrols were thin and skinny, he quietly ordered them to hide without letting Admiral Ingersoll know where they were...

"Comrade Military Commissar, Comrade Military Commissar..."

While Bulganin was watching the battle with his neck raised, he suddenly heard someone shouting "Military Commissar" in a low voice in Russian. He turned around and saw that it was Kuznetsov standing at the stairs of the bridge, waving to him.

Obviously, this comrade, the commander of the Atlantic Fleet of the Red Navy, wanted to whisper something to Bulganin that was not convenient for the British and American bourgeois military strategists to hear.

Bulganin secretly glanced at Ingersoll and Fraser again. The American admiral was concentrating on watching the Massachusetts and Alabama shelling something 30,000 kilometers away. The British Vice Admiral looked like he was about to collapse, obviously having completely lost confidence in the British Empire's anti-revolutionary cause.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Bulganin turned around and left, hiding in the corridor with Kuznetsov to hold an "emergency party meeting."

"Comrade Military Commissioner, the situation is very critical. The Americans and British have suffered heavy losses, and the naval battle is likely to be lost!"

Kuznetsov's voice was urgent and fast, and he told Military Commissar Bulganin the current serious situation.

"Aren't there still 4 Soviet-class ships and 2 South Dakota-class ships?" Bulganin frowned and said, "The 2 Kronshtadt-class ships should also be there, right? We won't necessarily lose if we continue to fight..."

Kuznetsov shook his head, "The Kronstadt class is not used for fleet decisive battles. Their main armor belt is only 230mm, so it is not used for fighting at all."

This Red Navy commander is an expert. Although he cannot command the fleet in a decisive battle, he has a good idea of ​​what the Kronstadt class is used for and whether the Soviet class can fight these issues.

It is certainly a huge progress for the Soviet Union to build these two battleships. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a leapfrog development. But it is not realistic to think that the Soviet class can really fight against German super battleships like the Hindenburg class. In Kuznetsov's opinion, if all the unqualified armor steel on the Soviet class is not replaced with top-quality American goods, this class of battleships can at best compete with the Bismarck class...

"Furthermore, the Soviet-class armor steel technology is relatively backward. It is the level of Germany in 1895. Although it is very thick, it cannot withstand the main gun bombardment of the Hindenburg class, and it is even difficult to withstand the main gun bombardment of four Italian battleships."

Kuznetsov did not dare to tell Bulganin that most of the armor steel used in the Soviet class was not even as good as the KC armor steel invented by Krupp in 1895. It was just surface-hardened steel. This matter concerned many people's heads. . It is also related to whether Kuznetsov, the commander, can continue to do so. In fact, it is not that Kuznetsov is irresponsible, but that the Soviet Union needs the Soviet-class ace that looks very similar!

Stalin needed the Soviet class to bargain with the American emperor. When the British and American navies were defeated one after another, what a bargaining chip four super battleships as powerful as the Hindenburg-class battleships were. As for the armor steel being substandard... Roosevelt would not know.

The leaders of the Soviet shipbuilding industry also need Soviet-class battleships to save their heads and wealth. In order to build the Soviet-class and Kronstadt-class, several major shipbuilding plants and design bureaus in the Soviet Union have not produced anti-G battleships for many years. A fatalist.

If they can't be made in the end, the 25 years of labor reform will be considered light. Maybe they will all be shot if their loving father gets angry!

For the Red Navy, the Soviet-class and Kronshtadt-class ships were infinitely better than the ships they originally had. Even if the Soviet-class defense is watered down, its power is still among the top among the battleships in the world. What else is there to be dissatisfied about?

So on the issue of armor steel, everyone is fooling around. Anyone who dares to expose it will be in trouble with everyone...including Stalin himself.

Kuznetsov could become the commander of the Red Navy at a young age. How could he not understand this?

The four Soviet-class ships and the two Kronshtadt-class ships are the bargaining chips, the Soviet Union's bargaining chips, and they are also Kuznetsov's own chips. If it were lost in the North Atlantic, it would be in big trouble.

Seeing that Bulganin was still hesitant, Kuznetsov simply made it clear, "Comrade Military Commissar, the war is not going well now. We cannot use precious Soviet battleships to save British imperialism from the fate of failure! If Without the four powerful Soviet-class ships, the Soviet Union would not be able to play a major role in the maritime war against Nazism, fascism and Japanese militarism.”

After hearing what Kuznetsov said, Bulganin completely understood. The reason why the United States is paying such a high price to win over the Soviet Union is that the 4 Soviet-class battleships and 2 Kronshtadt-class battlecruisers are also an important reason!

Even if the Allied Combined Fleet fails in the Atlantic, the British mainland will fall in the near future. The Soviet-class and Kronshtadt-class can also go to the Pacific... Even if they are not fighting against Japan, they can still be used to protect the Soviet lifeline in the North Pacific. Moreover, as long as 4 Soviet-class ships and 2 Kronshtadt-class ships are sent to Vladivostok, Japan will have to put at least 1 Yamato-class ship and several old battleships on the mainland.

This is a kind of support for the United States' operations in the Pacific!

As for the Soviet Union, without the four Soviet-class ships and the two Kronshtadt-class ships, it would not be so hard-core when it comes to asking for lease supplies from the United States.

"But we are fighting now, we can't leave first, right?" Bulganin completely figured it out, four Soviet-level weapons cannot be lost!

"Comrade Military Commissar, I have a way." Kuznetsov said, "The enemies on the battlefield today obviously regard British and American battleships as their main targets, and the fires on the two South Dakota-class ships have not been extinguished. This will make They become targets for artillery shells at night. If the two American battleships are seriously damaged later, we will offer to cover their retreat."

Bulganin was stunned, "Using the Soviet class to cover the retreat of the American battleships?"

Kuznetsov nodded, "Yes, but the enemy will still pursue the two severely damaged South Dakota-class ships, as long as we don't desperately stop them..."

"Ula!"

The "party meeting" between the two people was interrupted by sudden cheers. Bulganin and Kuznetsov hurried back to the command tower.

"Comrade Commander, Comrade Political Commissar, our Soviet Belorussia hit a Nazi Hindenburg-class ship and set it on fire!"

Gorshkov, the captain of the Soviet Union, saw the two men returning and immediately reported the situation to them.

"Where did it hit?"

"It should have been the seaplane deck, which could have ignited the catapult's powder magazine, causing the fire."

It's not a big deal. Kuznetsov nodded, raised his binoculars and began to watch the battle.

At this time, the distance between the two formations was close to less than 25,000 meters. The two formations of the European Combined Fleet seemed to have merged together. With the light of fire and flares, Kuznetsov vaguely saw 10-11 battleships. As expected, these battleships aimed their guns at the two American South Dakota-class ships, and they fired across the range one after another!

The current situation on the battlefield is about 54 406mm cannons bombarding a Hindenburg-class ship, and more than 70 4381mm cannons bombarding two South Dakotas.

Moreover, the formation speed of the European Combined Fleet is significantly faster than that of the US-Soviet formation! At least 7-8 knots faster (because the Massachusetts was hit by the Bismarck before, the steam pipeline was seriously damaged, and it has not been completely repaired yet, so it can only maintain a speed of 20 knots), which is very detrimental to the US-Soviet formation.

At 0:15 on December 10, the German battleship Ludendorff was hit again by a shell fired by the Soviet Union. This time the shell penetrated the Ludendorff's port side waterline armor, but did not explode due to a fuse failure. .

Ten seconds later, a 406mm shell fired by the Ludendorff hit the bow of the Alabama and exploded in the sailor's cabin, causing a fire. Subsequently, the Hindenburg's 406mm cannon also hit the Massachusetts's stern deck, making a large hole. The shell exploded under the stern deck, causing a fire.

The two American battleships were hit one after another, indicating that the opponent's shell landing correction has been completed. Now it depends on whether the Ludendorff fell first or whether the two South Dakotas were severely damaged first.